The Starting of a Masterpiece
by Jokes0nY0u
Summary: If you ever got the chance to ask the Joker to describe himself using only a few words, I am sure 'Masterpiece' would be in the top five, directly under 'devilishly handsome'. Take a look into some of the Jokers most important memories of how he came to be. A re-telling of events that shows how the Clown Prince of Crime earned his smile.
1. Chapter 1

**** I do not own the characters included in this story****

 **Hi and welcome reader ! after taking some time away from fanfiction I came back with a totally new mind set and deleted all my previous stories. But in saying that, I have been working endlessly on this new story and I really hope you enjoy it. This story follows the Joker as he remembers some of his biggest and most important memories in his life, this first chapter explores how the Joker came to be, all starting with a man named Jack Napier. I hope you enjoy this story as much as I enjoyed writing it, please if there are any spelling or grammar mistakes please let me know, as this is a learning experience for me ! Thanks !  
**

* * *

Present

 _"I remember the day like no other. Of course it was my birthday after all, so how could I forget? I can even recall making a joke that morning how easy breezy my day was going to be, but that was years ago, when I was such a foolish young man, I was oblivious to what the reality of life had to offer."_ He paused for a moment to smile inwardly at himself, it was like he had just caught up with an old friend, and was reminiscing about old times.

Leaning forwards in his seat, he took a breath before continuing his explanation. _"But you know what? All it takes is just one very bad day."_

* * *

Past

Jack Napier woke up early that morning, he took a moment to adjust his eyes to the darkness of the early hours of the day, before slipping out of the bed that he was currently sharing with his beautiful wife, Jeannie. Careful not to wake up his sleeping bride, Jack made his way to the bathroom that was adjoining to their shared room. The flickering of the dim yellow lights caught him off guard for a moment, until he wiped his eyes clear of sleep and continued his morning routine which consisted of showering, combing his dark brown hair, brushing his teeth, and putting on old white dress shirt, his worn out suit jacket and brown wool dress pants.

Something felt different that morning, it was like something big was about to happen, but Jack could quite put his finger on it. He brushed off the thought as nervousness for his audition that he had later that day. He was auditioning for a showcase that was specially put together for local talents to broadcast their talents on a local Gotham TV station, and the winner gets a 'HUGE' cash prize if he or she was chosen as the winner of the contest.

Jack felt that he was more than prepared for this audition,he spent countless hours preparing and reciting his routine to Jeannie that last two weeks. Perfecting all of his cues and punchlines, until they were timed exactly as he pictured. Jack knew he had no choice but to make it into the showcase, the bills were piling up and with his poor wife, bless her heart; was currently eight months pregnant with their first child, making her unable to work until after the birth. So all the financial responsibilities fell onto his little scrawny shoulders, but he was the 'man' of the household and was determined to provide for his family at all costs.

Taking one last look into the dirty mirror before exiting the bathroom, Jack stared at his reflection. Something was definitely different, His blue eyes seemed to flash a steel grey when the light hit them in the right spot. That little twinkle in his eyes confused him for a second. 'This is what confident man must look like' He said jokingly to the reflection, but quickly looked away. It's been a long time since Jack has ever felt something positive about himself, but how could he? The future of his wife and unborn child were literally hanging on by a small thread. Glancing back up too his reflection, his eyes still screamed confidence. So instead of wasting this feeling Jack decided to take it as a sign that things were finally going to turn around for him and his family.

Before long Jack was adding the finishing touches to his appearance (A clip on tie and mismatched cuff links), and continued his morning with a newfound pep in his step. Finally Jack was ready to leave the tiny one bedroom apartment in the slums of one of Gotham's less popular neighborhoods. Grabbing his old worn down briefcase from the kitchen table, It was mostly empty besides a few poorly done head shots of himself and a sloppy peanut butter and jelly sandwich for later. Taking one more moment before leaving the apartment, Jack quickly turned on his heel to scribble a short note for his sleeping wife. Not wanting her to worry about his whereabouts when she did finally grace the world with her presences.

 _My Dearest Jeannie,_

 _Today is the day. I'll see you for dinner_

 _Yours forever,_

 _Jack._

Placing the note on the counter so it would be easy for her to find when she woke. Jack peeped into the bedroom to look at Jeannie once more before he left for the day. With a sigh he turned around and left their home, locking the door behind him, unknowingly that this would be his last time seeing his precious wife and their rundown apartment building. 'Everything is going almost too smoothly' Jack thought to himself as he stepped out into the quiet city street, walking in the direction of his destination, happy to be avoiding the morning rush that the morning time usually brings. Who knew that in a total of thirteen hours Jack's life could go from such a positive beginning to a complete disaster, his newfound confidence should have been an omen for him.

* * *

Later that day

* * *

'Nothing good ever happens to men like me.' He whispered as he picked up the whiskey glass and poured the remainder of the liquor down his throat. The audition fell through the moment he got to the location, his nerves got the best of him, so when it was Jack's turn to go on stage he choked. Punchlines were botched and timed horribly, and he ended up becoming faint near the end of his humiliation and the stagehands had to help in assisting him off of the stage with a glass of water and a bucket near by.

Unable to face his wife after yet another failure of his dreams,and not even a dime to show for it, Jack headed to the one place he thought he would have a moment alone. Here at Lou's Tavern he was able to blend in with other low lives, drink cheap liquor and sit in his self-pity with his head down on the bar counter. Usually no one bothered him besides the bartender Steven, but that was only to top off his glass. Other than that, all that he could hear was the many different groups of people chatting among themselves, the occasional break of the pool balls, and blaring sirens of the fire department in the far distance. By the time his second glass was empty, Jack was in the middle of his pity party, until an older gentlemen wearing a suit, followed by a giant man behind him approached the bar, and exchanged a nod with Jack.

"Two Gin and tonics, and a refill of whatever this guy is having beside me. Looks like he needs a break." The shorter and more wider man said to Steven, who just smiled and walked away to retrieve the beverages. The man took another moment before sitting down, joining Jack at the bar. The larger man followed his actions almost like a shadow, or a dog following its master's orders. Jack could tell it came natural for Jerry to act according to Big Tony's word, it was the typical case of brains and brawn.

"You can say that again" Jack chimed in as he picked his head up off the bar counter, to face the men beside him. "The names Jack Napier, and you gentlemen are?" Jack said to the short man as he extended out his right hand in a friendly manner.

"Big Tony, and this here is Jerry." The man said grabbing Jack's hand in a firm handshake, then continued to motioned to the taller man beside him "Why the long face there pal?" Big Tony asked just as Steven returned with the three drinks, setting each glass down in front of it's designated owners.

"Well fellas, let's just say that if being this poor was a joke, I would be one rich motherfucker." Jack said with a smile as he picked up the glass of whisky, downing the contents without even a slight flinch of the harsh aftertaste, the only reaction was from Big Tony who howled out in laughter.

"I like you kid, you make me feel young, unlike the giant idiot here" Big Tony said to Jack as he slapped his shoulder, Jerry only rolled his eyes and sipped at his Gin and Tonic. The men shared a few words together and another round of drinks before Big Tony dug into his jacket, fishing out a carton of cigarettes.

"Come join me for a quick puff there Jack, and maybe Big Tony can shine a little light onto your situation." Tony said as he rose from the barstool, heading towards the back door. Unable to refuse the offer as Jerry wrapped his arm around Jack shoulders, more or less herding him out of the bar, into the back alley.

Wrapping his tattered suit coat more tightly around his body as the cold air whipped around him. Jack stood beside Jerry as big Tony passed around cigarettes, followed by passing the silver zippo lighter only after he lit his own. Sticking the butt end of the cigarette into his mouth, and taking the lighter from Tony when he was done. Jack quickly sparked up the cigarette, inhaling slightly until it burned nice cherry red on the end, he then passed the lighter to Jerry. The smell of butane and tobacco infected their way into his nose, but he calmed him.

The silence was lifted when Big Tony cleared his throat to speak and looked Jack up and down, clearly sizing him up. "Now Jack my boy, don't take this the wrong way, But it's easy to see that you're in a….. Predicament." Tony said calmly, taking another drag of his cigarette before continuing his point.

"How would you feel if I told you that you could be going home to that pretty little wife of yours with a couple thousands in your pocket tonight?"

Before Jack could even get his question and concerns out on the table, Jerry opened his coat and dug into the interior pocket, taking out a couple stacks of hundreds or thousands of dollars, Jack wasn't entirely sure of the amount present.

"I don't think I've seen that many bills since… well ever." Jack said as he started to imagine going home to Jeannie that night with that kind of dough, all of their problems would solved. Shaking his head before getting too carried away with the images of all the gifts he would shower his wife in, Jack asked;

"With money like that, there has to be a catch."

"Well Jack I'll be honest with you, we found out about you from a little bird. We were told that you used to work at the old chemical factory just outside of town." Tony said looking over at Jerry to confirm his statement, only making Jack more uncomfortable, how did he always attach the wrong crowd? And how the hell did they find out about his old Job?

"So what? ACE Chemicals shut their doors down two years ago and cleaned out the facility. And besides, I-I was only an engineer, I wasn't even apart of the reason why they shut it down." Jack managed to spit out, hoping that his uneasiness wasn't showing. ACE Chemicals shut down after a few of the higher ups were found guilty of fraud and unsafe working conditions for their employees.

"Nothing to worry about my boy. All we need from you is to get us inside, point us in the direction we need, then get us out. Simple." Tony said as he took his finale drag from his cigarette before throwing it to the ground and stomping on it, extinguishing the embers.

"And where exactly is it that you want to go?" Jack asked as he too disposed of his finished cigarette on the ground.

"That my friend is a 'need to know' basis. So if you decided to help us out, you will find out then." Tony said as he began to make his way into the backdoor of the bar.

"Do I have time to think about this… umm offer?" Jack asked unsure of what he should do.

"For sure Jackie ole boy, If you're in, just meet us at the gate by… i dunno 11:30 tonight?" Big Tony said as he rubbed his pudgy hands over his mouth as if he was thinking of a time right off the top of his head, which was complete and utter bullshit and Jack knew that, but the offer was too good to be true.

"We look forward to seeing you tonight Jack, I know you won't let us down." Tony said waving as he returned inside the bar once again, with Jerry not far behind him. Sighing once the heavy metal door shut behind the two men, signaling that he was alone, Jack slipped out a few curse words as he tried to think of the most logical thing to do in his situation.

Resting his back against the cold brick wall, Jack let his head fall into his hands in frustration as he sank to the ground, was he honestly considering doing this job with two sketchy men he just met that day? Trying to think of reasons why he shouldn't do it, Jeannie's face came to his mind. How tired she must be carrying around his child, especially since early on in the pregnancy they thought they lost their child after Jeannie slipped and fell down the stairs of their apartment, but the doctors said that they were lucky and for Jeannie to be put on bed rest until the arrival of the baby. This money could take so much stress away from his wife, and from him. This money could help carry them for a few months while Jack searched for a new job, sure he was giving up his dream, but his family needed him more. He decided that this was a one time deal, and he would do it, for Jeannie.

Taking another minute to himself, Jack picked himself up from the ground, shaking off the dirt that littered all over his pants. Jack turned and entered the bar from the door Big Tony and Jerry used. Once inside he looked around for the two men but they were no wheres to be found, so instead of sticking around Jack made his way to the front door to head home to his wife to tell her that he figured out a better solution for their problems.

"Hey Jack" Steven called from over at the bar, waving Jack over to him. " The Sheriff called, he wants you to come down to the station right away." Steven said as Jack got closer.

Raising a brow in question, Steven shrugged his shoulders. "He said that there was an accident, that's all he told me." Jack heart stopped, before he could even pay for his tab from that evening, Jack left the bar in a hurry, sprinting to the police station with only one thought on his mind:

Jeannie.

* * *

 **Authors Note:  
**

 **And that ladies and gents is the first installment of this story, I really hope you enjoyed it ! Please review and let me know if you think I should continue this story, and if you have any NICE and RESPECTFUL input I will gladly take it, as I am a very sensitive being who is very nervous about posting this. Until next time you crazy critters - JOY**


	2. Chapter 2

**As before I do not own any of the Characters in this story, also if you may have noticed I have used Quotes that I also do not own, anyways now that this is cleared up I hope you enjoy the next chapter of the story. As before please feel free to review the story and pass on any writing knowledge you may have, I'm also open to any suggestions ect.**

* * *

Present

"In times of great burden the best thing a person can do is to Smile, because It confuses people. Smile, because it's easier than explaining what is killing you inside." In that single moment his steely grey eyes glazed over for a fraction of a second, If a person wasn't paying close attention they probably would have missed it.

* * *

Past

His stomach was in knots, and his legs were screaming in agony for him to slow down. Just the thought of something happening to his sweet Jeannie sent bile rushing up his throat, somehow he managed to his stomach content down as he ran towards the police station. The cold autumn air whipped at his face, his nose was running slightly and his sweat made his clothes stick to his skin uncomfortably. 'Please be alright, I can't lose you.' Jack chanted in the back of his head, repeating it like a mantra.

It took all but twenty minutes to reach the station, stopping just outside of the front entrance, Jack took a deep breath and tried to calm his shaking nerves before he entered the building. Multiple men in uniform littered the inside of the building, answering phones, chatting by the water cooler or just slacking off in general. Jack stared around confused to where to go until a small voice got his attention.

"You must be , please have a seat while I'll go fetch the Sheriff." A middle age women said from behind the desk, her curly brown hair was neatly pulled away from her face and the way she had dressed reminded Jack of a moth-ridden Librarian. She rose from her desk and turned to leave when Jack gently grabbed her by the elbow.

"M-My wife, is she okay?" He asked the women, who in turn faced him with a soft smile.

"Please sit tight for a second , The Sheriff will explain everything to you in a moment." The women said again and she ushered Jack to the waiting area, motioning for him to take a seat. He did. "Now I'll be right back with the Sheriff sir, hang tight." with that she walked away.

His head fell between his knees as he tried to put all the pieces together, nothing was making sense, but as he sat in the grungy waiting room all he could think about was Jeannie and whether she was alive or dead. A moment later the receptionist returned and walked over to Jack, stopping in front of him, he didn't notice her presence until he seen her scuffed heels inches away from him.

" Would you mind following me, The Sheriff is waiting for you in his office." Almost as if he was in a trace, Jack rose from his spot and followed the women behind the front desk. They headed past all the on duty officers desks as the headed towards a large oak door with 'Sheriff' printed in the frosted window. With a single knock she entered the office with Jack trailing closely behind.

No words were said in this moment, the two men locked eyes for a second as the Sheriff motioned for him to take a seat on the worn out leather chair adjacent from his desk. Jack was getting tired of sitting around waiting to hear what happened to his young wife. Shuffling through a few files before picking up the correct one, then proceeding to loosen his tie slightly before speaking.

" there is no easy way to say this but at 10:38 this morning the apartment building you and your wife resigned in had a unfixed gas leak that busted, causing the gas to travel throughout the facility freely. After talking with the fire marshal, He and his team concluded that someone on the lower floor sparked a lighter which ignited the gas that caused the building to catch fire. We are very sorry to announce that the fire spread very quickly and by the time that the fire department reached the grounds a majority of the building was already consumed in flames." The Sheriff said, closing over the file and looking over at the pale faced man.

"A-A-And my wife Sheriff, where is Jeannie.?" Jack asked to confirm his suspicions.

"I am very sorry , but your wife didn't make it out. When the Fire department made it up to the third story, the roof had collapsed and it was deemed too dangerous to stay inside of the building any longer. Your wife along with four others had died in the accident." The Sheriff said as he walked towards Jack.

It was all too much, the walls felt like they were closing in, his clothes felt like they were suffocating him. 'We need to get out' a voice in the back of his mind said. Not arguing with the voice, Jack quickly left the Sheriff's office in a hurry, heading towards the exit. His vision became blurry and his shaking had returned.

" -"

Finally outside Jack walked down the steps and collapsed onto the cold cement sidewalk, he vomited multiple times from the news of his precious Jeannie , His breath hitched in his throat as he let out a strangled cry. The tears streamed down his cheeks as he continued to cry out for his wife and child. He began to blame himself for their death. He was suppose to protect them, if only he never tried to follow his stupid dreams he would have been home to get them out in time. It wasn't fair. They were suppose to be a family, who in their right mind would deprive a mother and child of life in such a horrific way, Jack didn't know.

For what seemed like hours of sitting outside of the police station, Jack picked himself up from the ground and began walking, the numbing feeling of loss ached in his chest as he put his head down. He couldn't go home, there was no more home left for Jack to return to, and he couldn't go back to the bar, the last thing he wanted was to be surround by people after what had happened. So Jack continued to walk around the streets of Gotham aimlessly for hours, thinking about all the things he will miss about his wife, and all the things he would miss out on with his new child. By the middle of the night Jack reached the outskirts of the city, When a familiar voice broke the silence.

"Jack, we're so glad to see that you could join us." Looking up from the ground, Jack was met face to face with the two men from the bar, Big Tony and Jerry.

"Now is not a really good time Tony." Jack said as he brushed past the pair, trying to continue his walk to go knows where only to be turned around forcefully by Jerry's giant hands. Looking up Jack was met with the end barrel of a handgun.

"Nonsense Jack my boy, besides we're not taking no as an answer, Now let's hop to it shall we boys?" Big Tony said as he manipulated Jack with the gun until the three men were walking towards the ACE Chemicals building. Standing outside of a side door Jack spun around on his heels, determined to talk his way out of this.

"Come on guys, this place is abandoned there is nothing left inside that's worth any-"

"Shut it Jackie, and put this on." Jerry finally spoke as he shoved a red helmet into Jack's chest forcing him to grab it before it fell to the ground. Looking it over for a minute Jack was about to question it before Jerry took it from his hands again and shoved his head inside of it, as he tried to adjust the helmet so he could see Jack could feel something being tied around his neck. A noose? 'Wishful thinking' The voice said laughing. When his vision became clear as he could get it he noticed that they had tied a cape around his neck.

"Now let's get inside 'Red Hood' out company should be arriving here shortly." Big Tony said as she shoved the gun in between Jack's shoulder blades. Without further arguing he led the two men inside of the abandon building. Once inside Big Tony continued to push him forwards.

"Where are we heading anyways?" Jack asked, as he fiddled with the helmet once more. It was so dark inside of the building and with this ridiculous helmet on Jack couldn't see a thing. He squinted his eyes and waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness.

"The Control room, which way Jackie boy?" Big Tony said as he flicked off the safety on the gun, and prepare it in case Jack decided to try and run.

"Umm, we have to go up on the suspension bridges" Jack said as he pointed over to the staircase that led towards the frail looking walkway. The trio headed towards the staircase, making their way towards control room, looking down they could see the numerous large vats that still to this day was housed the fluorescent green chemicals, Jack's mouth went dry looking over at edge. 'Doesn't that looking interesting' The voice said making his skin crawl instantly.

"Keep it moving, let's go" Big Tony said, pushing Jack onto the walkway. Trying to remember to pick up his feet as they continued walking, he led the men until Jerry cried out in pain. Turning around on his heel, Jack had enough time to watch Big Tony be knocked to the ground by a man dressed in black, seconds later the Black figure knocked him backwards, causing him to fall onto his back. Taking a second to look the man over, Jck noticed that his costume resembled that of a… Bat?

"Where is it Red Hood?" The man asked, before picking Jack up from the ground using the front of his dress shirt.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about, this is a big misund-"

Interrupting the voice pushed Jack back again. "I'm done playing games, just give me the vial." The masked man attacked Jack again, sending him back into the railing of the walkway, instantly taking the oxygen out from his lungs, it followed with a firm punch into his jaw. Jack tried to escape from his grip by ducking under the next blow, stumbling a few feet away from the man.

Not giving up the masked man went for the final blow, again knocking Jack backwards, his cape getting caught underneath his feet. The next thing Jack knew he was wrapped up in his cape, free falling from the platform. The impact into the chemicals caused Jack to scream out, but his screams were muffled out by the acid filling his mouth and throat quickly.

He never thought in a million years that he would have died this way, he always figured he would die peacefully in his bed, or by lung cancer, not by some freak dressed up as a bat. As his body sank to the bottom of the chemical bath, his skin was burning and so was his eyes. He had no energy left to try and save himself, and why should he? His wife and child had died, at least this way he could join them. Jack let his mind shut off and his body go limp, the last thing he knew was everything fading into the darkness, and the sound of a distant chuckle.

* * *

 **And there we have it, the second chapter. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed the story. I'm hoping to have the next installment posted by next week or so, until then stay tuned ! - JOY**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi and welcome back! Forgive me for being a little behind schedule, My computer totally decided to somehow forget my Wifi and wouldn't connect. But I finally fixed it and was able to upload the next chapter ! And to make it up to you I wrote a longer chapter than the first two, so I hope you like it !**

 **As usual I do not own and of the characters in this story !**

* * *

Present

"Madness as you know, is a lot like gravity; all it takes is a little push"

* * *

Past

It was quiet, almost peaceful. Everything seemed right in the world in this moment, the last thing he remembered was that he was flying, or was he falling? He couldn't really tell a difference between the two, all he knew was that he was beginning to gain consciousness. So his good old friend Jack Napier hadn't killed them after all. He opened his eyes slightly, blinking slightly as his eyes adjusted. He was surprised to see that he was in control of their body now, just like he should have been from the start! He couldn't be more grateful and excited about this discovery, finally he was able to call the shots. It was so easy to talk Jack into giving up his life, he just had to remind him of his pathetic wife and child and he was like a whore in heat for death.

He glanced around his surroundings trying to get an idea of where he was at. The moon was still out and the ground was slick with dew. Sunrise would be here in a few short hours, meaning he had to get up and move before someone found him. He started out with small movements of his hands and feet, making sure no bones have been broken with the accident, or was it a blessing in disguise? He wasn't religious but this was no less than a miracle in his opinion. It was almost like it was a rebirth of him, finally being free from that idiots mind! So if he was hurt by it, so be it.

Deciding to sit up, he let out a sharp hiss, as his muscles and joints screamed out in protest of his movements. He tried to piece together what happened before he woke up on the riverbank soaking wet and covered in dirt and slim? He looked around until he spotted a building on his right hand side, there was a drain pipe leaking a bright green liquid.

"well that can't be good for the environment!" He let out a soft chuckle before he groaned in pain. his back ached terribly, he blamed it on the way he must of hit the apparent substance.

Seeing that snapped everything back into his head, reminding him of what had happened to him. that was right ! He was pushed into a chemical bath! He let out a laugh as he rubbed his face for a moment as the memories came flooding back into his mind, making him dizzy. Most of it was patchy, but he also noticed that most of the memories Jack had made throughout his disappointing life where also whipped clean for the most part. No sweat off his shoulders, he was a wimp anyways so why should he have to worry about what poor little Jack did anyways? He let out another series of chuckles before he sat back for a moment, god he wish he had a cigarette to toast to his new clean slate on life, it really would have been the cherry on top of all of this. This will be a night he would remember forever, his first Birthday.

His laughter calmed down after a few moments until he sat in silence, thinking of the last few hours. He tried to remember the details of what happened, who took him there in the first place? And who was the man who pushed him into….. The chemicals? He head started to ache as he tried his best to remember. He let out a frustrated growl as he laid back down on the damp grass, letting out a loud sigh.

"Don't cha remember? It was a gigantic bat! He was humongous! How the heck could you miss it?" Cried out a voice in the back of his mind.

"And who the hell are you?" He almost shouted. "If that's Jack you better go haunt someone else, I'm not interested!"

"Nope not Jack, you locked him up remember? And as for me, I don't really know" the voice had said back to him.

"Well keep it quiet Bucko, I don't have time to deal with more of Jacks personalities coming back and screwing this second chance that i have been gracefully been blessed with." He said to the voice and suppressing it to the back of his mind as well. Ahh to have the power to control everything is just so beautiful. Not wanting to waste any more time sitting on his ass and enjoying the view, he picked himself up from the cold ground and tried to steady his legs. They felt like gelatin, and he struggled for a minute, trying to gain his balance.

His first few steps were shaky and all over the place, his legs felt like rubber and found it hard to bear his weight, but he pushed on. After time he felt it become easier and easier to walk. it was like he was taller, he walked with his chin held high and his senses were becoming more heighten with each passing second. He could could see things and hear things a normal person couldn't, it made it easier for him to be more aware of his surroundings.

As he continued to walk he started to head towards the old building that so gracefully spit him out in the first place. He just wanted to get a better idea of where he was. As he approached the brick wall of the factory, he used it to pull himself up the hill, his legs worked fine on flat ground, but this slight incline made his legs scream out in agony, he reached the top of the hill and was met with the empty parking lot, it's only inhabitants were the overgrown weeds coming through the cracked pavement.

Following the exit markers he left the premises of the parking lot. He looked around for a moment before making way towards what looked like a city. The bright lights beckoned him like a moth to a flame. As he walked for a few miles down the road it was becoming harder and harder to ignore the pain in his muscles any longer and decided that he needed to find a place to rest, and have a good shower. Whatever chemicals left on his body that his Big river baptism hadn't washed away we're still present on his skin and they inched like hell, it was driving him crazy.

"Too bad you're already off your rocker" called out the voice in a fit of laughter.

"Didn't I tell you to can it? Now here's a ticket to the 'fuck off department' Have a great day!" He called back before pushing the voice into the back of his mind for the second time that night. Of course he rid of one moron, only to revive another just his luck! And to add to his misery no matter how hard he tried to ignore the little bastard voice in his head, the damn thing kept on going as if it was a news reporter.

"Would you look at that moon" it would cry out in pure excitement as if it was the first time it had seen it. It was utterly annoying and he was becoming crankier and crankier with each stupid comment it had said.

"Alright knock it off already!" He had yelled out loud in frustration.

"Fine, and I was just about to mention that sign about a motel, but just because you-"

"Shut up, what motel?" He questioned, cutting off the voice mid sentence.

"The big sign to our right that says 'MOTEL' and you're the one who keeps calling me dumb, as if" the voice had snapped back. He turned to the sign and read it for himself, it was clearly there and he only rolled his eyes, he blamed the stupid voice for distracting him this whole time.

It didn't take him long to find the motel, or was about five miles down the road the only problem he ran into was he had an empty wallet and no cash, but right now at this point he was so tired he didn't even care, so when he arrived to the rundown motel he easily went for an empty room, broke the lock on one of the windows, removed the screen and climbed inside of the dingy room. He placed the screen back in and closed the old window before he headed into the bathroom, stripping out of his dirty white dress shirt in the process.

Once he shut the door behind him and flicked on the light, he headed straight for the shower, turning it on and removing the reminder of his clothing. The water burned his skin at first, and he couldn't help but notice how pale his skin looked, was he always sheet white or what? He stood under the steady stream of water until the water turned like-warm. He picked up the mini bottle of shampoo and continue to squirt the contents onto his hand, lathering it up and washing his hair, before he moved onto his body.

Moments later the water went cold so he quickly rinsed and stepped out of the shower, wrapping his pale body in a fluffy white towel that hung from a rack diagonally from the shower.

"We're so pale we match the towel!" The voice called out.

"Great observation idiot, now mind your manners and let a gentleman dry off in piece!" He argued back. This voice was becoming more annoying than Jacks self loathing. Tying up the towel around his waist, he stepped towards the foggy mirror to further inspect the new skin pigment and how much of his body was affected. As he wiped away the condensation gathered on the mirror he was met with an unfamiliar yet familiar face.

"Have I always looked like this?" He questioned out loud as he inspected the man in front of him. He has piercing steel blue eyes, and dark red lips that jumped out at you against the Snow White skin of his face. His jawline was sharp and his nose was still unfortunately the same large nose Jack had. He frowned at that and so did the reflection confirming that this was him. Signing out he shut his eyes and rubbed his hands through his hair, causing a few green strands to fall into his eyes. 'Wait, Green?' Shocked he opened his eyes and looked at the green ruffled mess that sat on top of his head. How perfect.

"That's definitely new" the voice said to him with a hint of laughter in its voice. Thank god it didn't look overly bad, he actually kind of liked it. It was the furthest away from Jacks plain old chestnut brown hair, so this wonderful green made him stand out that much more.

"I think green is a good color on us" said the voice again, obviously pleased with their new transformation from bland to devilishly handsome. He only laughed in response to the voice. Maybe it was starting to grow on him.

As he continued to stare out at his new found appearance, he let out a loud yawn and gave in to his tiredness. He has the rest of his life to stare at his handsome self, right now all he wanted was to catch a few hours of sleep before he decided on what to do next.

Shutting off the light as he exited from the bathroom, walking to the bed before he collapsed on top of it. he lazily pulled down the comforter and rolled under the blankets, not bothering to do it properly, he was exhausted. Shutting his eyes sleep came easily to him, too bad his dreams felt all too real.

His dreams were filled with old memories from Jack Napier past, his childhood, and teenage years were dull and uneventful if you didn't count the years of abuse caused by his alcoholic father and the stress of caring for his schizophrenic mother. He had no friends really, the only person he seemed to have was his wife. They had an okay relationship, not a lot of chemistry but they were both happy to be settled down. Jack had become excited when the couple found out they were having a baby, but then the obsession to provide for his family started to eat him alive. Jack was just starting out on his journey to become the next big up and coming comedian Gotham City has ever seen! But the bills kept coming, and venues stopping letting him preform on their stages, fearing to lose customers with his terrible act.

He could actually see how beat down and worthless Jack felt, he could vaguely remember being present at this time, egging him on to continue to work towards his dream instead of getting a job and supporting his family. He was interested in how far he would go with it all, up until the death of Jeannie Napier and the unborn child. Then the wonderful 'accident' that caused his transformation flashed through his mind, he thrashed around on his sleep as if it was happening to him all over again. When it was all over, in front of him stood the man who pushed him into the vats. Man Bat? What would a grown man in a leather looking bat suit call themselves?

The man started to walk toward him, his mouth was speaking words that he couldn't hear. As he got closer, a faint mumbling could be heard. He stood in one spot, thinking of his next move of attack, he swing his first towards the man, only for it to be blocked. They continued to fight each other until the man in the suit was able to get the upper hand, pinning him to the ground. The man continued to mouth words, until he heard him clearly.

"You gotta leave" he only stared at him in confusion, leave? after pushing him into a chemical bath and the bat guy has the nerve to tell him to leave, this was his dream in the first place!

"Wake up, you have to leave!" He yelled again. Snapping his eyes open, he stared around the unfamiliar room, trying to piece together how he got here. Ahh the window. Sitting up from the bed he started to stretch his arms when he as he was suddenly had the feeling he wasn't alone anymore.

" Hey, good morning? Yeah Buddy I'm going to have to ask you to leave.." the voice said, he turned around and was met with a large middle aged man, who didn't look like he came from much. "My aunt came in here this morning, and said a naked clown broke into the room and trashed the place." The man said as he awkwardly fumbled his hands around as he spoke. He busted out into a laughing fit when he clicked in on the clown part. With his pale skin, green hair and red lip, he could easily see why she thought he would be a clown.

"I like it, that's rich! Now I can't leave yet, I haven't had breakfast, or any clothes at that matter." He sat on the bed, posing like he was thinking. "Now how about you go fetch me some flapjacks and something to wear, and then I can get out of your hair, how bout it pal?" He said looking at the man with a smile.

"Yeah whatever, just stop smiling at me, no offense but you're kinda creepy looking" the man said before he turned to leave.

"Meh workplace accident, now off you go to get me some new fresh duds" he laughed loudly as he shooed him off. Peasant.

"You sure told him!" The voice in his said commented. He rolled his eyes and chose to ignore the little pest, it was too early for that shit, and he didn't have the patients either. He looked around the room and spotted the small coffee pot sitting on the small counter across from the bed. 'That's exactly what I need' he thought as he got up from the bed, not bother to cover himself up to make himself a pot of coffee. When the man returned with a handful of clothing, the green haired man was sitting up in bed sipping on a cup of coffee.

"Ahh I raided the lost and found, and this is what I could find." He said as he set the clothing down on the end of the bed. He walked towards the door again, only stopping to mention something to the clown guy.

"Umm my aunt isn't going to be overly pleased when she comes back, so if you want a ride into the city I'm leaving in like five minutes, just meet me inside the red truck." The man quickly left and headed towards the main office of the motel. Downing the rest of his coffee, he quickly got up and changed into the clothing he was given before he left the room, making his way down to the truck.

Climbing into the passenger side he waited for a few minutes until the man left the building and got into the truck. They never said anything as they pulled out of the motel parking lot and onto the road heading towards Gotham City.

"What happened to you for you to look like-" the man stared.

"A clown?" He finished.

"Yeah not to be rude or anything, but you look like you went to hell and back." The man chuckles as he watched the road ahead of them. Not breaking his focus. He was nervous.

"Ahh celebrated my Birthday with my new friend, and things got out of hand. As you can see" As he gestured to his face. The man looked over at him, confused at first but never asked questions. Looking around the mans truck he could see lots of coffee cups and paper bags, there was also the odd cigarette butt on the ground.

"You don't have a smoke by any chance?" He asked the man, hoping to finally enjoy the sweet taste of nicotine.

"Yeah, right in the glove compartment" He said reaching over and opening it for him. He smiled as he grabbed the pack of cigarettes, passing one to both of them. He pressed in the cigarette lighter located under the stereo of the truck, and waited as the object heated up to light up his smoke. After a few moments he anxiously ripped the lighter and pressed the end of his smoke onto the red ring, inhaling as the end lit up. He passed it over to the man before he sat back, enjoying the feeling of his lung being filled with the wonderful smoke.

Looking down into the glove box he noticed a deck of playing cards. He reached down and picked up the box. He stuck his cigarette into his mouth before he opened up the box, and removing the deck. He shuffled them a for a few moments, he had to admit to showing off a little bit, when he was a teenager he loved magic tricks and was always learning new ways to shuffle a deck. He turned the deck to face him, looking at each card as he filed through them all.

"I don't know if I mentioned this but I'm Rocco, figure I should probably introduce myself before I offer you a place to crash. Judging by you breaking into My Peggy's motel, I kinda figured you didn't have a place to go." The man, Rocco said.

"Well look at us becoming just the best of bud already." He said with a smile.

"How about you, you have a name or is it .?" Rocco said, laughing at his ridiculous guess. He was about to answer when it clued in that he didn't actually have a name. He wasn't going t o call himself Jack, that's a terrible name. He came up to the end of the deck of cards when he stopped suddenly as a familiar face within the cards sat in front of him. He couldn't hold back the smile that snaked across his pale face. It was perfect for him.

"Mr. J actually, but for you my friend, you can call me Joker."

* * *

 **And there we are! I hope you liked this chapter, it took me a while to plan it out to get it where I wanted. but I'm very happy with it. Please feel free to review, or if you spotted any misspellings please let me know ! Until the next chapter ! -JOY**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello there and welcome back! Just to start things off I wanted to apologize for not posting any updated chapters, the holidays got the best of me and I had barely any time to sit down and write, so for the last three days I've worked my ass off to finish this chapter and post it for you all to enjoy. Anyways as before I don't own any of the characters in this story~**

* * *

Present

* * *

Days were coming and going so fast that he couldn't keep track anymore. He stared at the same pale grey painted hallways for years. For some people being locked up like an animal would be a living hell, but for the Joker, it was his second home. Arkham Asylum for the criminally insane had evolved so much over the last decade. Security was higher, more cameras and beefed up guards who barely know how to turn the safety off of a gun. He had considered this place to be a vacation home at this point, his best ideas always came from the four walls of his prison cell, and each visit being better than the last. He always looked forward to being locked up, medicated to the brink of becoming a human vegetable, Even as he was being ushered down the hall by Arkham's two most trigger happy security, no one could wipe the smile off of his face.

The heavy thudding of the guards boots was the only sound that could be heard as the trio turned right and continued to walk down a pure white hallway. They were heading to one of his most favorite rooms in all of Arkham, Patient interview room #105. As he approached the door, one of the guards quickly scanned his key card, waited for the chime and proceed to open the door, shoving the Joker into the room. They quickly cuffed him into the metal chair and headed out of the room, not wanting to be near him any longer than they have too.

When Joker heard the familiar click of the locks, he relaxed. As his eyes glanced around the room a smile crawled itself across his face. This room was special to him, on his very first trip to Arkham this was the room where he met his first physicist and also the first time he killed someone with his bare hands. He still gets shivers from the thought of it, watching his doctors eyes turn dull under his hands. It was like the ' _first sip of coffee in the morning_ ' kind of feeling. His smile only grew larger at the memory. It's been a long time since he first walked into this 'fine' establishment, it was just after Batman and his first real fight. That was the night that he fell in love with Batman, he was his perfect match in every way possible.

* * *

Past

* * *

It was two years after Joker had met Rocco. On their ride back into Gotham from his Aunt's hotel, Joker found out that Rocco was recently got fired from his job at a construction company. When Joker asked what the reason was, Rocco's response made Joker laugh. Rocco ended up losing control of a forklift and "may or may not have scratched the shit out of his bosses truck". Therefore, declaring poor Rocco jobless. So after a few days of crashing on Rocco's couch and somehow taking in a couple hundred from Joker doing card tricks throughout the city, Joker was able to convince Rocco to work for him. He taught Rocco how to properly pickpocket people without being caught, so while Joker preformed, Rocco collected the cash.

Their performance went on for a few days until Joker was able to afford a couple pounds of cocaine for them to sell at clubs and bars. It was quick cash for what he had planned for later on. So they continued to do odd jobs until they were able to afford their first hideout. It may have taken a long time to get here, but they weren't finished yet, the next step in Jokers plan was for Gotham to finally learn who their king is.

Sitting at the kitchen table, he held his glass of scotch and swirled it around before taking a large drink from the glass, as he waited for his men to arrive. He had planned their new job for weeks now, fine tuning every last detail to make it go off without a hitch. Well as long as everyone did as he said everything will work out. Rocco Joined him at the table shortly after he finished his second glass of scotch, he was dress up in a suit and tie at J's request for his plan. He wanted his gang to be the best dress in Gotham and made it a strict rule about heists being a formal event, and right now first impressions matter since his name was starting to become more recognized in Gotham's underground.

"Boss, I don't really know about these suits, they are kinda uncomf-" Rocco said snapping Joker out of his thoughts.

"Beauty is pain my sweet" Joker felt around his suit coat for a moment, before reaching into the inside pocket to remove a pack of cigarettes. "Say Rocco, I do believe I told those idiots 7, or am I wrong?" He asked, pulling a stick from the carton and lighting it up.

"I'll send out one more reminder" Rocco said as he pulled out a small black flip phone, Joker couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor electronic. Rocco's giant hands looked hilarious trying to type out a text.

"It looks like he's going to snap it in half!" Cried out the voice who occupied Joker's mind. He could only laugh in response. After Rocco put his phone away they waited, it took his men 25 minutes for them all to gather at the small warehouse, talking amongst themselves as J paced in front of them erratically, when he finally stopped and observed his men he noticed that Rocco and himself were the only ones in suit and ties. Out of frustration he let out a wild growl before jamming his knife into the table, causing the men to look up in fear.

"Since you all insisted on not listening to me, you better listen closely because I will only be saying this one time, and one time only folks." Quickly the men sat up straight and focused their attention on the green haired man in front of them.

The plan was easy, it was just a simple B&E to a low budget jewelry store, most of all it was a test to see if his new employees were worthy of working for him. He had three men working for him closely, there was twenty-one year old Vinnie who was a solid driver. Knuckles and Kowalski, or Dumb and Dumber as Joker liked to call them, they were mostly muscle and extra lead. It took a little over two hours for Joker to explain the plan three times and counting.

"Last time you idiots" Joker snapped, "Vinnie, you're the getaway driver. Stay in the car at all times, and only leave when I say so." He instructed the kid, he continued to explain that Rocco and himself would be dropped off out front to deal with the security system, so while they were occupied with that, Vinnie would then drive around the block once to enter the rear entrance of the building.

"So that means Knuckles and Kowalski you enter after Rocco and I make it inside. Rocco will let you in while I deactivate the alarm. Once you two are inside the building gather whatever is not tied down or looks expensive. Rocco will find the safe and gather anything from the back room. Now Questions?" Joker said as he waited for his men to soak in the information, nobody said anything so J told them to gather their heat and get into the van in ten minutes.

"You sure they can handle this Boss?" Rocco asked standing too his right.

"That's the thing Rocco, They don't gotta whole lotta choice but to be ready." And with that Joker left to gather up his few guns before following his men out too the van. When they opened the back doors of the white van, Joker had pre-made 'gift bags' ready for each of them. Each bag consisted of different kind of party supplies and weapons, from silly string to protein snack bars.

"Here Kiddies, gifts from uncle Joker" He said with a loud laugh, passing out each bag. When each of them were in their seats they started to look through their goodie bags like it was Christmas morning. Joker made sure to slip a pack of gum inside of Knuckles bag for his poor mouth hygiene problem, and he was delighted as he watched Knuckles pop a piece of chewing gum into his mouth after he found it.

"Boss a flare gun?" Asked Rocco sounding a little confused.

"You won't be disappointed with that one, she's a real blast" Laughed the Joker. The car ride lasted only a short few minutes from where the hideout was, so it didn't take long for Vinnie to announce that they were coming up to their destination. Before the van came to a complete stop, Joker opened the door and prepared to get out, followed by Rocco.

"Right now, remember your positions and if you're not back inside this van by the time I get here if this whole shindig goes south, were leaving you behind." Said Joker on his way out of the van when they arrived before quickly making his way to the front door with Rocco not too far from his trail. Joker quickly dug into his pocket and took out a thin looking key card, he looked over to Rocco and said;

"When this thing scans we will have 60 seconds to deactivate the alarms or this party will turn into a pig roast" Without warning he quickly swiped the card over the reader and the door clicked open, The Joker quickly opened the door and headed to the alarm system to overwrite the entire system with ease. "Good to rock and roll Rocco" J yelled over to him so he could go and let the two other idiots inside. Once inside, Rocco disappeared outback to collect anything worthy, while Joker cleared out the display cases with Knuckles and Kowalski.

As he was pondering over which new gold chain he was going to take for himself, the overwhelming feeling of being watched rushed over the Joker, wasting no time he reached into his holster to remove his revolver, turning around and pointing it directly at a black figure.

"Put the bags down and lower your weapons" Said the voice stepping into sight, could it be?

"It's him ! It's our friend!" Cried out the voice.

"Well, well, well I can't believe my eyes. You haven't changed a bit since our last meeting" Joker said with a hint of laughter in his voice.

"I don't have time for games now listen and lower your weapons, I'm taking you into the Commissioner." The figure said stepping closer but suddenly stopping as he got a better look of the Joker's face.

"You don't recognize me do yah pal?" asked the Joker. "Well I guess you were busy pushing me into a vat of chemicals." Joker said as he rubbed underneath his chin with the barrel of the revolver, pretending to be in deep thought.

"How did you hear about that" The figure asked so only he could hear.

"Hear about it? Baby I lived it" Without batting an eye, Joker quickly smacked the man with the end of the revolver knocking him back momentarily, J wasn't entirely sure what this freak was packing so just in case, but within seconds of the man registering what had occurred, he quickly started throwing punches. As they fought, Joker had the plan to lure him out of the shadows and closer to the exit point, so he could get out of he didn't really feel like dealing with the cops tonight.

The hooded figure was able to block most of J's attacks,and managed to land a punch to the nose resulting in a sickening crack sound. While the Joker was preoccupied with the blood dripping down his face the man kicked the him in the chest sending him flying over the display case and rolling onto the floor with a grunt.

"Boys get the bags and get to the van" Joker yelled as he picked himself up off the ground. His lip was bleeding and he was pretty sure his nose was broken, he quickly spit out the blood that was beginning to pool in his mouth before he brushed himself off. "Well my friend it's been a real treat to see you, but I have to mosey on my way now, that criminal life doesn't live itself" Joker said as he turned on his heel and ran towards the exit.

Just as J was about to walk out the backdoor, the masked man had snuck up behind him and kicked him harshly out the door and down the steps, onto the cold cement, knocking the wind out of his lungs. Before the masked man could gain the upper hand, Joker quickly turned around to face the man who was mid dive, giving him a chance to counter the mans attack. Joker grabbed onto the man's chest protector and used his momentum to roll/throw his body over J's head and into the brick wall behind him. Although he never seen him land, Joker did smile at the sound of the masked figure shoulder dislocating on impact, and a loud grunt of pain.

When Joker stood on his own two feet he looked down on the man who had attacked him and smile. He was impressed, knowing how much pain he was in, the man never let an ounce of it show on his face. If one of his guys fell like that, they would be crying like babies for weeks.

"Y-you never answered my question" The man spoke through his teeth. "How did you hear about what happened at Ace Chemicals."

"HAHAHAHA, Hear about it? I've never heard about it. I told you I was there. I looked you in the eyes before you pushed an innocent man to his death." J answered with a smile on his face.

"That man was the leader of a thug group named 'Red Hood'. He wasn't innocent" The man said in disbelief.

"Could you ever imagine that you actually got the wrong guy? Maybe and just maybe our little acquaintance was just in the place at the wrong time perhaps? " Joker said as he looked deep into the man's eyes, they were full of confusion and panic.

"You're lying" The Joker crouched down beside the man and patted the top of his cowl.

"Afraid not my friend, I just happen to be the aftermath of your little stunt. That man you pushed, he gave up his life and died. And then in his place, I was born into what you see before you." Joker said laughing.

"And who might you be exactly" Asked the hooded figure.

"Well I'm your new best pal The Joker, and trust me pal, that's a name you will never forget." The Joker quickly winked at the man dressed in black before standing back up and walking towards the van.

"Alright boys, shows over, he sent the location to the cops, time to ditch this Popsicle stand" Joker said as he approached his men just as the sound of sirens were heard in the into the van without another word, Joker and his men sped off back into the streets of Gotham, leaving the man in the alleyway alone.

* * *

 **And there we have it, the next installment. Please feel free to review or point out any spelling mistake as I am only human and not a spelling wizard. Im hoping to have another chapter up soon, so until then critters, stay weird~ JOY**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi and Welcome back ! First order of business is a very large thank you to the following people:**

 **SnarrySlave - Thank you for the love, and I apologize for the late update and I hope you enjoy this chapter**

 **JarleyShipper - Thank you so much for your kind words, you actually made me cry! I tried my best to update as quickly as possible but I kept getting ideas for this chapter and rewrote it twice so I hope it brings a smile to your face !**

 **As always: I do not own the characters in this story and if you notice any spelling/grammar errors, please let me know so I can fix them properly ! Thank you in advance for reading and I hope you all love it !**

* * *

Present

"They laugh at me because I am different. I laugh at them because they are all the same"

* * *

Past

Watching as the man in the black suit fell out of view, Joker and his gang of men drove away from the jewelry store robbery they had just performed. The white van they sat in weaved in and out of the busy streets of downtown Gotham City, as the men watched the road behind them carefully. When no police sirens came, and no flashing lights Jokers smile creeped up his face, confirming that their heist was a complete success.

"Take er' home Vinnie" Joker growled out, and without a second to spare the youngest male of the group started driving back to hideout. When the vehicle was finally parked, the group piled out of the car and headed to the back to unload the black bags containing their goods from the heist. It wasn't long after they made it into the main area of the hideout that the alcohol was brought out, and a few shots were thrown back in celebration of a 'Job well done'.

"Good work today boys, or should I say men?" The Joker said laughing, and earning a few chuckles in return. "I thought for a moment there, that our new friend was going to mess up the whole thing, but I was wrong." J refilled his shot glass, and everyone followed suit. "We managed to hold our own and get out of there, so to that. Cheers" Joker quickly tossed back the shot glass, swallowing the burning liquor without much as a grimace, but a delicious smack of his blood red lips.

As the night went on, Joker and his men drank around the table as they sorted through their findings, separating it into cuts so everyone would go home with some cash and a smile on their faces. When Vinnie yelled over from his spot in front of the television.

"Hey Boss, check it out!" He started. " We made the news!" It took a matter of seconds before everyone was gathered around the small device. As they watched the screen, all of them afraid to even blink in case they missed something important when a red banner with the words 'Breaking News' appeared across the screen, followed by a live broadcast of a female reporter standing in front of a new truck.

"Good morning Gotham, sorry to interrupt your program. I am Summer Gleeson, reporting to you live from outside of a locally owned jewelry store has just been robbed some hours ago." The camera man followed the reporter as she walked away from the new truck and stood in front of the jewelry store that Joker and his men previously visited.

"Hey Boss weren't we just there? What a shame huh?" Rocco said sarcastically. Before J could reply the reporter started speaking again.

"Police have already confirmed that this robbery was a well organized plan, carried out by more than one person. We have Police Chief Nathaniel Barnes here with us to talk more on the events of this Robbery." The camera zoomed out revealing the Police Chief standing beside Summer Gleeson. " Chief Barnes, what do you have to say to the people of Gotham?" She asked finally.

"The GCPD would like to confirm that this incident was organized by a group of people who unfortunately was successful in getting away with hundreds and thousands worth of inventory." Chief Barnes said as he addressed the camera. "When police arrived at the scene we were lucky enough to find a very important eyewitness to this crime, the witness actually came face to face with the ringleader of this group of thieves."

"Are you able to release the name of this witness? And was it Gotham's new vigilante?" Gleeson asked when the chief was finished. When the reporter said the word 'Vigilante' Joker stiffen and sat at the edge of his seat. So his new friend really considered himself a hero?

"At this time and with the permission of the witness, I will confirm that the witness was Batman himself."

"What kind of name is Batman?" Joker said out loud without realizing as he continued to watch the screen with peaked interest.

"Anything about the robbers that the public should be aware about? Anything that could help out the Police with the search of these criminals?" Gleeson asked, pointing the mic at the Chief once again for his knowledge on the subject.

"Yes" Chief Barnes started. " After speaking to Batman himself and receiving his statement of what witnessed during this whole ordeal, He told me that there was one man in charge of the group. A man who calls himself 'The Joker'. Now if you would excuse me I'm wanted back at the station." Barnes had said finally, giving the reporter a hand shake and walking out of site of the camera.

"And there you have it Gotham, This is Summer Gleeson signing off fr-" The television screen went black and everyone looked towards their boss, who was sitting on the couch with a smile so big it stretched from one side of his face to the other.

"Well done boys! We will be front page news by tomorrow morning. " Joker said laughing hysterically. He couldn't believe that they had made the news on their first real outing, it really put him in a great mood. " Rocco will be texting you when I'm finished finalizing our next heist, so keep your phones close. I don't pay your phone bills for you to ignore me" Joker shouted as the men finally cleared out for the night.

With a heavy sign, the Joker sunk himself back into his spot on the couch. As he sat his mind tried to process this 'Batman' character, and what is his purpose, or what his favorite color is. Whatever the answers may be, Joker could only feel excitement no matter the situation. It was like he found his exact opposite, even their fighting clashed perfectly. It didn't take long for the Joker to become inspired and basically jumped out of his seat to run over to his planning station, it was just an old oak desk in the back room that he personally occupied.

Inside the room you could find an old cot with random mismatched blankets tossed around on the top of the 'bed'. There was also a clothing rack that held all of his suits, neatly hung up and color coordinated. He was picky with who handled his delicates and always made it a priority in his budget for good dry cleaning services. Once he reached the desk in the corner, he hurriedly got to work on his plans, writing down every thought that crossed his mind. It didn't take him long to have a page full list of ideas and ways to annoy his new friend Batman, because why not poke the bear while he's already riled up?

As the night went on and a whole bottle of his favorite thinking scotch was drank, Joker finally settled down into his makeshift bed, staring that the ceiling, waiting for the next day to start the next step.

"Big day tomorrow champ, why not shut those sight sockets and get some shut eye eh?" He whispered to himself in the darkness, hoping that it would eager his body to relax and finally submit to sleep.

Joker awoke the next morning feeling a little groggy, his neck and shoulders ached as he stretched the stiffness from his muscles. He went on about his morning, showering and getting dressed. J even made himself a little oatmeal and berries for breakfast with the kettle that he had Rocco pick up when he first moved in. An old storage building isn't really equipped with a kitchen, so he had to make due with the bare minimum.

When he was finally apart of the world physically and as mentally as possible, J messaged Rocco to meet him at the hideout to begin their workday.

As J waited for Rocco to arrive, he had found himself sitting in front of the television again, flicking through the news channels. The events from last night littered each channel in some shape or form. "Who is the Joker?" Was a popular question in the mix, but mostly their attention was on Gotham's new 'vigilante'. That made J's jaw tense as a low growl grew in his throat, he didn't take so kindly to his new friend stealing his hard earned spotlight, it actually pissed him off. Three shot rang out before Joker could register his actions.

"Tired of seeing the commercials boss?" Rocco asked from behind him. He was standing by the table holding two cups of coffee before setting them down.

"Perfect timing as usual Rocco, anyways good thing Java is to go because we have to get moving! Grab the bags and lets get going" J said as he walked towards his companion to pick up the hot black liquid. The moment it touched his lips he let out a pleasurable sigh.

"What's the plan then boss?" Asked Rocco as he followed J out of the hideout, and into a blacked out Chrysler 300. Wasn't the most flashy car, but it did the trick for small outings like the ones today, in the driver's seat sat Vinnie, who was waving at his boss with a chipper look on his face.

"Rocco, is that kid always that happy?" J asked before opening the door to the backseat as Rocco loaded the bags from the heist into the trunk of the car.

"Every since he took the spare room at my place, you can't wipe that bastards smile from his face. " Rocco said laughing as he latched the trunk and walked to the front passenger seat. Vinnie grew up in and out of foster homes, but when he started working for the Joker, Rocco in a sense took him under his wing and helped him out a lot when he finally aged out of the foster system a few months back. Starting the engine with a little extra revs to push limiter to show off, the three of them pulled away from the hideout, driving until the Joker had told them a location.

"So where am I heading Mr. Bossman?" Vinnie had asked J as he looked at green haired head through the rear-view mirror.

"Were going to meet up with my good friend Carlo's place to get rid of the rest of the jewels from last night, from there were going to go to the arms store to pick up a few new toys for our next job." J had said as he adjusted himself in the backseat preparing himself to light up a cigarette, trying his best to get all the smoke out of the slightly cracked window.

By the time they had arrived at the rundown looking pawn shop, J had already had two or four shots of his flask and about three cigarettes. He chimed in at one point saying that this routine was crucial to keeping his 'youthful' appearance. Once the car was finally parked out back of the store, Joker quickly strode out of the vehicles and walked up to the backdoor before knocking three times on the large metal door. The door swung open seconds later, to revel a short looking Italian man, dressed in a gold colored dress shift and his fingers were covered in large gold rings.

"Mr. Joker my favorite customer !" said the short man as he ushered the three men inside of his establishment. "Sorry to shove you in like that fellas, rough neighborhood." Carlo's finished saying as he shut the backdoor firmly behind him, locking it with deadbolt.

"You don't need me to get Rocco here to walk you home again?" Joker said as he ruffled the shorter men's hair in a teasing manner.

"That was one time J, and you know first hand that old man Johnson is a crazy motherfucker, he used to be in the mob." Carlos said as he turned slightly red of embarrassment. Back when the Joker first met Carlos, the short man asked a favor of the clown man, which was protection against his apparent 'crazy' neighbor who would always attack the poor man with his cane if Carlo's got too close to his front yard, which was a challenge them being neighbors and all.

"So what is it I can do for you fine gentlemen?" Asked Carlos, snapping J out of his thoughts.

"Rocco give him the stuff." J said as he smirked down at the man in front of him. The Joker swore that in a past life that Carlo's was a crow, if something looked shiny enough he would buy it without a second thought, so when Rocco finally dumped the contents of their robbery onto Carlos's counter top, his little beady eyes lit up and his hands began to rub together greedily.

"I'll have to do a thorough inspection of this fine merchandise, J you know where the minibar is, please feel free to have a couple drinks as I gather up a total for you, there's juice boxes in the fridge for the kid." Carlos said not breaking eye contact with the jewels that laid before him.

J happily listened to Carlos and helped himself to his personal bar, drinking alongside Rocco as they discussed criminal drama that has been happening around Gotham.

"Well I've heard some politician has jumped onto the crazy wagon, I guess he makes all of his decisions using a coin." Vinnie said as he sipped on an apple juice.

"Well I've also heard from a buddy of mine that Penguin is back and he opened up a new bar called the 'Iceberg Lounge', but the biggest part of it is that ole Pengers is working with some professor who used to work at the University." Rocco said sharing the rumors he had heard.

"Just what Gotham needs, another old perv running a tittie bar." Carlos chimed in with a shake of his head. "But on that note J, I'm all finished here, So tell me what were you looking to get?" Carlos asked as he placed the final piece of jewelry down next to the pile.

"Well with all of the hard work and planning I had to go through to get all these, I was hoping to get 100,000" J said walking up to Carlos, leaning over the counter top in an effort to make him intimidated.

"I can do 85,000" Carlos said with a slight crack in his voice.

"95,000 and we have a deal." J said with a very toothy grin.

"95,000 and you supply some kind of muscle to help me protect my store if you're going to continue shopping with us here" Carlos said trying to swallow with a dry mouth. The pair sat in silence for a moment as J looked the small man up and down like he would make a great appetizer before he nodded his head and stepped back.

"Deal" He said before Carlos released a loud sigh. He then left to collect the money quickly as Joker smiled over to his men. "I love this place, always get a great bang for my buck."

When Carlos returned with the money, they quickly said their goodbyes before Carlos walked them out the backdoor they had entered in. The three men entered the car once again and left the alleyway behind the pawn shop, heading towards yet another store, 'Artillery & You." It took no time at all for them to arrive at the weapons store, and Joker basically skipped his way through the front doors, and as they browsed the shelves of the weapon store, J's smile was from ear to ear as he pulled out his 'grocery list' from his pocket, crossing out each item on the list as he came across it. Rocco followed closely behind his boss, holding multiple weapons in his arms, while Vinnie pretended to shoot things at the handgun display case.

"So Boss," Rocco started. "What's the plan with the guns? Are we doing another heist?"

"In a sense, I'll know more after tonight, but that rumor you heard about penguin, well I've been following this story for a while now and it's all true. The professor you were talking about is Dr. Jonathan Crane, he's an expert in human relations, but mostly focuses on the human brain when admitted to great levels of fear." Joker began. " He has created a toxin that is able to submit a person to their greatest fear, in the means of hallucinations. Some people actually died from this stuff."

"You know I don't like to pry J, but what kind of fish have you been smelling'? You sound crazier than a bag of hammers. Penguin is just some old perv, what would he be doing with a guy like that?" Rocco said and earning a laugh from his boss.

"My best guess is that Crane is paying Pengers for protection" J had said as he picked up a shotgun, feeling its weight in his hands. "I've had a few of the lower guys try and dig up some dirt around the Iceberg lounge, and they have been able to give me a general layout of the building, so were going to go there tonight and visit the place for ourselves and possibly get our hands on this so called 'fear toxin'. It will be the perfect piece for Joker first big public appearance, he wanted to really put a smile on the people of Gotham's faces.

"So what do you need from me then Boss?"

"I'm glad you've asked Rocco. Text the boys and tell them to meet us at the hideout in a few hours for debriefing. " J had instructed before he continued on his shopping. When he was finished they used the money from Carlo's to purchase multiple guns and other B&E accessories, before the group left to head back to the hideout. The car ride was silent on the way back, each one of them keeping their thoughts to themselves, knowing that this next job would be one for the books.

* * *

 **And that's the end of this chapter! I'm sorry if it was a slow burner, but this chapter is more of a filler chapter, more action to come here shortly. Please feel free to review as it motivates me to continue writing. Hope you all enjoyed and I can't wait to see how far this story will go. As always, Thanks critters ~ JOY**


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